Dominique Krankowsky is a happy and content baby, with tufts of blonde hair and the ability, already, to toddle everywhere on his own. But as happy a baby as he has been, his mother had noticed something was wrong with her son.
“At six months, he quit paying attention to us,” says Natasha Lynn Gelinas, adding he wouldn’t respond if someone was talking to him and stopped responding to other vocal cues. “It kept getting worse and worse.”
She was concerned her son was suffering hearing loss, but, other people, including doctors, downplayed her concerns and told her he was fine. But Gelinas continued to feel that something was not right and kept seeing doctors to get to the bottom of the matter.
After months of pushing, she and her fiancé, Kyle Krankowsky, finally were referred to a specialist this June, who recommended more extensive tests. When the results came back this Sept. 13 from Dominique’s auditory brainstem response (ABR) test, she was told she may want to sit down.
Immediately, Gelinas knew it was not good news and that all the reassurances she’d had from everyone that her son was fine were not true. “I just started bawling.”
The results showed Dominique had profound hearing loss, with his better ear only picking up sounds above 90 decibels. He has been using hearing aids, but they haven’t been very effective in helping him to hear better, only allowing him to hear sounds louder than 60 decibels, such as loud bangs or a noisily closing door. Gelinas and Krankowsky were told their best option was to have their son fitted with cochlear implants, a surgically implanted electronic device that’s also sometimes referred to as ‘a bionic ear’ that may be able to improve his hearing further.
Right now, his brain is like a sponge, so the earlier he can have the surgery done, the better it is for his hearing and comprehension, says Gelinas, noting the surgery is intended to happen in March or April of next year. All of these developments have come as a big shock for the family, but she notes her fiancé has been very “understanding. He just wants the best for Dominique.”
Gelinas was once criticized by a stranger for using technology to help her child, rather than accepting him as God made him. She recalled arguing with the stranger, saying, “Wouldn’t you want to hear your child say, ‘Mommy,’ or ‘Daddy’? Now we have the chance, why not use the science?”
She wants her son to be able to communicate and not to question her later as to why she didn’t choose to get cochlear implants to see if it would improve his hearing. The devices cost $40,000 to $45,000 each, which will be covered by health care, but she notes there are a lot of other expenses involved for the family, including trips to Edmonton for doctors’ visits and the eventual costs of repairs for the cochlear implants, which she has been told can cost anywhere from $900 to $3,000, depending on what needs to be fixed.
That’s why she and her fiancé are thankful to be chosen to be a recipient of the New Year’s Eve benefit dance. This is the third time the benefit has been organized, to support families in the Town or County of St. Paul who either have experienced a tragedy or who have an ongoing medical need.
She was thankful for the support of benefit organizers, saying, “I think that’s an awesome program. I couldn’t believe the community is so open to help the people that need it.”
The Parent Link Centre, which Gelinas attends, is also helping the family with a fundraiser set to take place on Nov. 6. Paula Fejzullai, of Pictures by Paula, is donating her time to take professional photos of children during the day. People who sign up for pictures can choose to make a donation to the family. To find out more or to reserve a space, people can contact Sheila Parks at the Parent Link Centre, at 780-645-1116.